Together
by Cherryative
Summary: Post-Always, fanfic based on ABC's Castle. Kate and Castle's thoughts about finally being together, and much, much more :)
1. A New Beginning

**Author's note : This is my first story, reviews would be appreciated :)**

I definitely do not own the Characters. Based on ABC's Castle.

-Post-Always-

**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**

* * *

"You have no idea."

From day one, Rick knew that there was something special between the two of them. Heck, she was special, and boy had she been right.

He had absolutely _no idea_. Following her around, Rick learnt so much more about her. Her determination and want to protect others had amazed him, much more than anything ever had, frankly. Everything about her was _incredible_. She was an inspiration, not just for his books, but also for him. She was strong-willed, tough, remarkable, though sometimes maddening. Yet he still wanted to be with her. The day that he realized he had fallen for her, he knew things would change and that risks had to be taken. Kate was afraid, and her walls had still been up and strong then.

_When Kate was shot, Rick felt his world turn pitch-black, like the sun would never rise again. All he could see was her on the ground, damaged and still. Rick felt a pain in his heart so strong he thought he'd fall with her. He confessed his heart out, he cried, but she couldn't reply._

The shooting. The confession. The lie. That was what? One year ago? The past year had felt like forever. Breaking down walls, wondering why she lied about losing her memory, wondering why she didn't acknowledge his confession. Rick had known how much he wanted to be with her, but her walls had to come down first. And now, they finally were.

Warmth wrapped around him as he watched Kate by his side, sleeping ever so peacefully on his bed. Looking at her like that, Rick decided that Kate was beautiful, the most beautiful anyone or anything had ever seemed to be to him.

Rick spent the next few minutes thinking about the past four years, and how far they have come. Sunlight was shining brightly through the bedroom window.

_Today is a new beginning. _

Rick got up, and went straight to the kitchen. _Coffee._

* * *

Kate thought back to the first day they met. 'Mr. Castle', she had called him. She definitely preferred Rick. Kate had been excited to meet him, though what she had expected was a richy-rich, playboy, ass. At first, he didn't seem far off from what she had expected, but over the years, the Castle she got to know was very different. Sugar-rushes aside, he was perfect.

_The days back when she was still healing she relied greatly on his books to stay strong. Something about mystery had always drawn her in, but there was something different about his writing. Something, that seemed to motivate her and give her strength. During the 'dark days', as she found herself calling them, she read and reread, up to the point where she knew what line was from what book. It took her awhile to pull through, and although she never fully recovered from the grief and pain, she was glad she was able to get back on her feet. Rick had saved her life, even before they met. _

_Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle. He loved her._

"Kate," Rick said, as he entered.

There he was, just like he had always been. Bringing her a cup of coffee, just to see her smile. Only now, they were a couple.

"Thank you."

Rick joined her on his cosy bed, both smiling and staring into each others eyes, and felt it. Something powerful struck through them, like a spark that had just ignited. They were together now, and neither could put into words the joy and relief they felt. Not to mention, the love.

_They were finally together._

The next few minutes were spent in silence, until Kate spoke.


	2. Never Too Late

**Chapter 2: Never Too Late**

* * *

"Castle…" Kate started.

"...Castle I um, I'm sorry." Rick's expression changed.

"Kate, was last night a… were you just.." Rick was rather confused._ Was she playing him?_

"No! no, Castle I want to be with you."

"Great."

Rick put his right arm around her shoulders and drew her in. He kissed her softly, and she kissed him back. At this point, Kate started to smile. _They were finally together. She still couldn't believe it. _

"Hold on, don't you have to go to the precinct?" Castle asked, pouting with absolute adorableness.

"Castle I quit my job...so I don't have to go to work today" Kate said, looking regretful. _She seemed to be hinting something. Or was it just Rick's wild imagination?_

"Oh, oh right."

_They were alone, together._

"What do you want to do then, Kate?"

Rick drew her in once again, but this time, they were interrupted.

"Oh my! I'm sorry! I thought there wasn't an-" Martha giggled.

Caught in the act, both Rick and Kate froze like sophomores, eyes widened and jaw-dropped.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" Rick said, looking like he had just seen a devil. _Martha does have a lot in common with one, he thought._

"Alexis, she, um ...why don't you two get changed and meet us downstairs."

* * *

"Oh. My. God. You said that no one would be back 'til tomorrow!" Kate said, punching Rick in the arm.

"They weren't supposed to be! "

"Castle, that was so, so embarrassing." Kate grumbled, angrily shaking her head.

Rick couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Castle!"

"I'm sorry! It's just that, you get so cute when you're angry."  
This made Kate laugh, and instead of rolling her eyes, she placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Ooh, I should be annoying more often," he teased.

"Ugh."

* * *

"Hello, Richard and Katherine!" Martha winked.

Rick expected Alexis to question them, but she seemed to have her own problem.

"What happened to her?" Rick questioned, noticing Alexis was pale and dead-tired, what were once beautiful locks fell down her shoulders in a horrid mess.

"A-Alexis are you hungover?"

"There was a party last night, after the graduation ceremony, she called me so I went to pick her up. Don't get mad, Richard, you were worse when you were her age." Martha explained. But clearly, Rick was not as angry as she thought he'd be.

"Well why didn't you just call me?" Rick was both concerned, yet proud. _Alexis's first hangover. Cool._

"I tried, but you didn't pick up!" Alexis defended, grabbing her throbbing head. _Wait a minute. Detective Beckett is here._

Rick turned to kate, "oh, right."

"Aaagghhhh..."

Alexis was in pain.

"I'll go get Alexis some Aspirin." Kate could not stand the awkwardness any longer.

"So... you and Katherine?" Martha could not contain the happiness that was bubbling up inside of her. _Katherine and Richard! Together!_

"Uh.. yes, Mother, we are together now."

Alexis seemed too hungover to give her opinion on the big news.

* * *

Kate was back in his bedroom when Rick was done helping Alexis to her bed.

"Castle, Martha and Alexis know about us now! Or at least, Martha does," Kate exclaimed.

"C'mon, it's no big deal. They would've found out sooner or later."

"Castle if Gates finds out-"

"Kate, you quit your job, does that really matter anymore?"

"oh, right."

Kate frowned.

"Hey, non-detective Kate Beckett, what's wrong?" Rick walked to her and held her hand.

"I don't know, was resigning a mistake?" Rick could clearly see she was disappointed in herself for throwing a tantrum like that.

"You know what, why don't you think this through, and if you wanna go back, we'll visit the precinct tomorrow. "

Kate smiled, and noticed his Marvel figurines lined up on a shelf.

"Woah, Castle, you're such a child!" Kate giggled.

"And you love me."

Kate jumped at the word. _Love_. _Rick had told her he loved her a year ago. She wasn't ready yet, and so she lied. What a stupid move._

"Kate I'm sorry was that too-"

"No, no Rick, I love you. I-I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you" Kate stammered like a teen, blushing harder than Rick had ever seen her.

Rick leaned towards her and kissed her, passion flowing as each held each other closer.

"It's never too late."


	3. Lunch Will Have To Wait

**Chapter 3: Lunch Will Have To Wait**

* * *

Kate and Rick walked out of his bedroom.

"Where are the two of you going?" Martha wondered.

"Oh, just lunch, we'll be back for dinner," Rick said, as Kate put her shoes on and walked towards Castle, who was standing by the main door._ The door. _Looking at it, she remembered last night.

_Kate was drenched. How did she screw things up so bad? She could have fallen from that roof. It's time for her to face reality. She's strong, but not invincible. Danger is inevitable. Protecting her loved ones, means protecting herself. __She would be letting her father down. She would be letting Rick down. Rick. The man who stood by her side for four years. The man who had told her he loved her yet again, only to be shouted at and rejected. He was protecting her, he had said.  
_

_At this moment, Kate knew. She had to stop waiting. She had hurt him enough. She knew what she wanted. Rick wanted her, and she wanted him too. Kate got off the swing, and headed for Rick's home. This was it. She had made a huge mistake, and it's time to fix things. _

"Well then, I'll prepare a spread." Martha said, as she smiled at Kate and turned away.

* * *

Kate and Rick walked out of the lift and headed for Kate's apartment. They had decided that Beckett's cooking would be better than most nearby restaurants.

"Kate, " Rick said.

"What?" *smooch*

"Castle!" Kate pushed him away. It tickled.

"Can't you wait til' we're in my apartment? Jeez."

Castle smiled to himself, watching as Kate unlocked the door and took off her heels. For years he wondered, _how the hell does she run in those things?_

"Castle, aren't you coming in?" Castle stood outside the door, staring at her with guilt and sorrow.

"Kate... there's something that I have to tell you. I want something.."

"Castle, what is it? What do you want?"

"You."_ Did Rick really just mimic me? That childish little -_

Rick ran to her smirking, and caught hold of her face. They kissed passionately, and Kate grumbled.

"Argh you got me."

"Did I play you well?" Rick asked, following his girlfriend into the kitchen. She was pouring a glass of water when she answered him.

"Not bad, except that, well..."

"Well what?"

"I was soaked last night." Kate screamed with laughter as she emptied a glass of water on Rick, pouring water on his no longer-perfect hair.

*SPLASH*

* * *

Kate loved cooking. She loved to bake too, and made it a point to bake monthly, no matter how busy it was. _On one occasion, she took an extended lunch break over a busy weekend just to bake some cherry shortcakes. Mmmm._

Rick stepped out of the bathroom and watched as Kate finished up on the food.

"Smells delicious," he said, sniffing in the aroma of what seemed like barbecue steak and lasagna.

"Castle, put some pants on!" Kate said, laughing between words.

"They're wet! Did you forget what you did to me?" Rick exclaimed.

Rick had tied a towel around his waist Tarzan-style. 9_-year old on a sugar rush. _He started to walk towards his girlfriend, who could not control her laughter. Rick grabbed her by the waist and kissed her neck.

_"Castle..."_

Kate started playing with his wet hair as he unbuttoned her shirt. Tension rose, and each kiss got deeper than the earlier, with a pause between every few for air._ Lunch would have to wait._ As their bodies made contact, Rick's towel got loose and fell. Heat grew between the two, and Kate paused to look into his eyes. Staring at each other, they smiled. _Round four_. Kate moaned, as Rick moved his hands around, pushing her closer and closer to him. They were halfway into Kate's bedroom, when the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Kate shouted.

"It's me, Ryan."

_Shit._

"Castle, hide." Kate said, as she directed him to her closet.

"What?!"

"Hide! We can't let Ryan see us! At least, not with you like that!" Kate scrambled to put on her shirt, and ran to the door.

Rick obliged gloomily. This was embarrassing, but he wouldn't want Ryan to see him naked anyway.

"Hey." Ryan said, with a rather concerned look. He was holding a case file, and wearing his usual three-piece suit, and of course, his badge.

"Hey...Ryan" Kate said.

"Beckett, there's something that I have to tell you." Ryan said, as he walked in.

"Ryan, no. I've resigned, I'm not doing any more cases."

"Beckett, I'm sorry about what I did, If -"

"No, I don't blame you Ryan, you were protecting us, I get it."

"Exactly. Beckett, Maddox is still out there. Those guys that are trying to get you, they're still out there! I need you to take a look at this, please."

Kate could sense Ryan's concern.

_Maddox._ As Kate let out a sigh and opened the case file, the sound of breaking glass echoed from her bedroom, followed by a muted _"Shit."_

"I'm s-sorry, do you have company?" Ryan questioned. It was only now that he noticed the wet men's shirt on the floor, and so did Kate._ Ryan is gonna find out. Ryan is gonna know about us. Everyone at the precinct is gonna find out. Kate pondered. Unlike what happened with Martha, this wouldn't just be embarrassing, it would be risky. Gates must not find out. If there's any chance of her going back for her job, Gates must not find out. But he's a detective, lying would be no use._

"Err...hold on for a moment."

If Kate was excited to introduce her boyfriend to Ryan, she certainly did not show it. Ryan could sense that something was... off.

* * *

"You broke my vase?!" Kate soft-screamed, trying to be soft enough so Ryan wouldn't hear.

"I panicked!" he blurted.

"Rick you are gonna get it from me!" The vase didn't have much value, but Kate was still sad that it got broken.

"I'll repay you... later," said a smirking Rick.

"Argh.. put on some clothes and join us outside."

* * *

"Hey...Castle?" Ryan was shocked. S_on-of-a-bitch, th-they're together?!_


	4. A Plan

A/N: This chapter is mostly dialogue, sorry about that. Only realized when I finished it :| Oh well, I hope you guys will enjoy it nonetheless 3

**Chapter 4: A Plan**

* * *

After Ryan got a good look at Castle, he let out a burst of laughter.

Castle was in one of Kate's robes, which was obviously way too tight for him. Yet for some reason, he seemed not to notice that, parading out in it with pride.

"So... the two of you are like, a couple now?" Ryan blurted out.

"Yeap. Me and her. Together. As a couple." Rick couldn't help but say that proudly, with happiness in every word. _She and I. A couple._

"Oh. Erm wow congrats!" Ryan was still trying to digest the news. He had always known they would end up together, but after four years of no visible progress, he thought they wouldn't make it.

_"Hey Javier." Ryan said, entering the break room. Montgomery and Lanie had already left, after helping to clean up the table of drinks and snacks._

_"Sup." Espo was lying on a couch and eating a cookie._

_"Why didn't you leave with Lanie?"_

_"Awwhh I don't know man, things are pretty complicated between us." Espo was clearly distraught._

_"What about you? Don't you have to go home to your girlfriend?"_

_"Nah, she's out-of-town. Visiting the parents."  
_

_"I see. Hey Ryan can ask you a question? Would you support me if I wanted to commit murder?" Espo looked dead serious for a moment.  
_

_"On who?"  
_

_"Demming."  
_

_*chuckles* Jokes were often made between the two about Demming. They hated him.  
_

_"I'm kidding.. but really though, Beckett and Castle ought to be together! I can't stand him. And don't get me started with Gina. The way she just waltzed in and grabbed Castle? Damn. I could've sworn Beckett was gonna confess to Castle." Espo was clearly pissed about something that he shouldn't be nosing about._

_"Yeah I know man, but don't you think it's been too long? I mean like, if they were going to get together, wouldn't they already have?"_

_"Take that back! I bet you, those two are gonna end up together some day."_

_"How much?"  
_

_"A hundred bucks."  
_

_"Deal."_

Well, there goes the money he was gonna spend on Jenny.

"So what is it, Ryan?"

"I found the picture that Maddox took from Montgomery's wedding album... you recognize this man?" Ryan reached out from the case file a picture of a man possibly in his thirties holding a glass of wine, at Montgomery's wedding.

"No...he's not familiar. I don't think he worked with Roy. How is he related to this whole thing?!"

Castle took a step forward.

"I know him. He's the man I've tried to tell you about. He's the one that's protecting you."

"What do you mean?", asked Ryan.

"Whatever it is Montgomery gave to him, he's been using it to protect Kate. My guess is, whoever's behind this whole thing sent Maddox to hunt him down. Kate , we can't let Maddox reach him first, or else..."

* * *

Kate exhaled deeply, before she took a step forward. The three armed cops, or at least, one cop, one suspended-cop and one ex-cop, and a writer had planned to meet in the café across the precinct. Each one was tasked with their own duty. Kate and Rick would search Montgomery's wedding guest list, which for an odd reason was published in a 1981 'CopLife' magazine. Ryan would go back to the precinct and check for news on Maddox, while Espo would get help from some old buddies to search for the identity of the man who was protecting Kate.

"Espo, there you are," said kate. They had found a nice corner in the café, where none of the other cops, especially Gates, would notice them.

"So, any luck finding out who the guy on the picture is?" Rick was anxious. He could not lose Kate. Especially not when they've only been together for less than a day. _That would be such, a rip-off._

"Nah, sorry guys. My friend said he tried to search through some databases that they have there, which were mainly military, but so far nothing."

"Guys you don't have to find out who he is, I already know," Ryan said, as he sat down, panting.

It was odd, that Ryan didn't seem happy to have found the identity of the man. The trio noticed, and prepared themselves for what was about to come out of his mouth. _Nothing good._

"His name is Michael Smith... guys, he's dead."

* * *

"What do you mean he's dead?!" Rick exclaimed.

"Relax, Castle, let me explain what happened."

So Maddox had tortured him, and now he was dead. Great. Kate could feel tears in her eyes. This was her last chance at getting safety, and now it's gone. Rick held her hand tight, although he would have preferred to be wrapping his arms around her, but Espo and Ryan were right there.

"Wait, while I was looking through some of the evidence from the crime scene, with help from Lanie, I was able to sneak away this."

"I86V, Jasonskaer K-" Ryan read, looking at the burnt piece of cloth with words written on it in grey ink.  
"Jasonskaer? The hell is that?"

"It's pronounced Jason sky-er, Jasonskaer KingWeld. It's the name of a company that used to sell the best towels ever. I'm serious. Moist and comfy to touch, yet stretchy and super absorbent!"

"Castle."

"Right."

"Anyway, the company closed down after one of their heads was exposed for embezzling thousands of dollars from the company and that building, is just a few blocks from here. My bet is, the file's in there."

"No wait, Rick, Maddox got Smith, isn't the file with him already?"

"No. Smith was tortured to death. I think that Smith didn't give away anything. That's the reason why he's dead. He was protecting Kate."

"Calling each other by first names now eh?"

Espo grew more and more suspicious, listening to the way they talked. He could sense that something was off between them.

Espo's on to them. _Oh dear._

* * *

"B-Beckett and Castle?! "

"Yep."

Ryan had explained everything to Espo as they drove to the Jasonskaer Markweld building, while Kate and Rick followed along in Rick's car.

"Yeaaahhh!" Espo was clearly ecstatic._ They're finally together!_

"Wait a minute.. Ryan, you do know this means you have to pay up," said I smiling Espo with a wink.

"I know... I keep my word, especially, with my best bro," said a smiling Ryan. _  
_


	5. A Fight

**Chapter 5: A Fight**

* * *

The building was empty. Well, void of people, living beings. But it was full of trash. Broken furniture, toppled office drawers, torn wallpaper, the place looked horrible. The four of them entered, wondering where to start searching. It wouldn't be that hard to find a file in here, _would it?_

"Well, this place is thrashed," remarked Rick.

"The offices are marked with letters for floor, and numbers for rooms," said Ryan, who noticed that the thrashed walls had numbers and letters on them.

"Yeah, this one reads 'A803', 'A' probably means ground floor, all these rooms start with 'A' ," continued Kate pointing to the row of offices to their right, which read 'A803', 'A804', and 'A805'.

"But how will know which room the file is in? Guys, there's like 8 floors on this building registered under FluffySky KingWeld." _FluffySky? Really Espo?_

"Hey hold on a second. Ryan let me see that burnt piece of paper again."

"Aha! It's not I86V, it's A981. Smith must've written it upside down to throw Maddox off in the event that he got it first."

"A981? Well then detectives, thank you," said a familiar treacherous voice.

Suddenly, a shot broke off. Before any of the four could react, one of them fell straight to the ground.

"No! Son-of-a-bitch, Ryan!"

"Kate I got this, go get that bastard!"

Kate took Ryan's gun, and raced down to find Maddox, Rick following suit. Espo's voice was tremulous. Ryan had been shot in the abdomen, thankfully, nowhere near his lungs and heart. Espo tried to stop the bleeding as he took his phone.

"Hello, this is detective Esposito I need an ambulance right away..."

* * *

"Rick, it's A981.", said Kate, as she pointed to the office ahead of them."

"Yeah, but why it the room so... empty?" Rick said, wondering why there wasn't any broken furniture in this office, unlike most of the others. He was glad they found the office; he was running out of breath.

"No, it's not."

Maddox appeared from behind the couple and whacked Rick's head with his gun, knocking him out instantly. Kate screamed, heading straight for him. But Maddox was too strong, and just like that day on the roof, he fought back, and in seconds he had her. This time, Maddox tied her to the window grail with zip ties, then did the same to the unconscious Rick. He wanted her to watch. He wanted her to watch as he took the file, the file that protected her. Whatever words, pictures, or stories that file contained, it was powerful.

Kate hated feeling so helpless. She couldn't save herself, just because a pair of plastic strips were holding her back. She couldn't help Rick.

Maddox searched high and low, between wall cracks. There wasn't much space to search for a file in a close-to empty room.

"Where is the file?" Maddox was pissed. _Maddox was mad, as his name says._

"I don't know." Kate couldn't believe how clueless Maddox was._ Can't he see that the flooring was very odd?_

"You don't know? Well then your boyfriend was wrong. You know what? He's so useless, why don't I just kill him."

"No!"

Maddox now held his gun to Rick's chest. He was enjoying this. The sight of Kate's desperation to help Rick, the anger inside her building up because she's so helpless, he found it entertaining. Rick gained consciousness, and so the Maddox raised the gun, pointing it at his head. Now, it pointed at his head. Kate began to tear up.

"Listen to me, jackass, if you hurt him I will kill you. I will personally come and find you wherever it is you try and hide, and put a bullet through your skull. Don't you dare," said Kate, trying her best to get her hands out of the zip ties. _They're on too tight._

Rick had been in dangerous situations before, and a gun to his head although nothing new, still scared him. Yet the situation was a little bitter-sweet, seeing how much Kate cared about him. He was touched.

"I wouldn't have to hurt him, if he was actually useful. I need the file."

"The file's in the floor... literally." Rick was not fully conscious, but he noticed how unlike most of the other rooms, other than being empty, this room's flooring was new and untouched from the demolition.

"No, Castle don't ..."

Maddox got up and took a laser pointer, then spun it around on the ground. Following the laser, he soon found a bump on the ground right in the centre of the room. Then, he slipped out his Benchmade pocket tactical knife and sliced around the bump. Lifting the fake flooring, Maddox exposed the door to a safe, dusty and with no lock. A wide grin spread over his face as he lifted the safe door. In it, laid a report file that was years old. He picked it up, and walked to Kate.

"Ha, you know detective, it's a shame. I might not have gotten this far if it weren't for you and your boyfriend. So, thank you." Maddox could see the fear and anger in her eyes. She looked like she was about to rip him apart after kicking him in the crotch repeatedly. _That bastard._

"You will not get away with this."

Kate and Rick expected him to run off with the file after he was done mocking Kate, but that was not enough. What neither of them expected was, for him to draw his gun once again, and point it at Rick's head.

"No. Maddox you got the file. Leave him alone."

"Ah, I don't know detective, watching you like that, it's fun. Beg me."

"...Please. Please don't shoot him."

Maddox laughed, and twisted his gun sideways.

Kate was in pain. She would not let anyone take Rick from her. Not like this. _This jackass will pay, if he does anything to Rick, anything at all..._

_When the bomb went off, Kate felt the van shake. "Castle and Martha..." she thought. She darted out the van and headed straight into the bank. Please, please don't let him be hurt. Please..._

_"Castle! Castle!" she screamed._

_The first few seconds of silence left Kate shivering. Could he be... gone? She was so happy when she heard his voice from deeper in the bank. He had not left her. __Sometimes when Rick get's into trouble, Kate thinks back to that moment, how fearful she had been that the one guy that stood by her through the battles was about to be taken away._

"No! Don't, I will break your legs, you Son-of-a-bitch!", screamed Kate.

Kate's heart came to a stop when she heard a gunshot go off. She was sure then, at that very moment, that her life would never be the same. Ever.


	6. Kill Shot

**Chapter 6: Kill Shot**

* * *

Espo was in shock. Seconds after he heard that familiar voice, he heard a gunshot, followed by the sound of one of them being hit. The next thing he knew, his partner's on the ground.

"No! Son-of-a-bitch, Ryan!"

"Kate I got this, go get that bastard!" Espo could see the anger raging in Beckett's eyes.

The situation caused him to have a flashback of one of the incidents that had occurred back when he was in the Special Forces; back when danger was everywhere.

_"Hey Jav, when I'm through with all of these, I'm gonna propose to my girlfriend. What about you?"_

_"Oh wow, that's great! I don't know man... I think I'd probably g-"  
_

_*Alpha to Jaguar, we've got incoming snipers at 8, over.*_

_"Jaguar to Alpha, Roger tha-"_

_*shots fire in the air*_

_"Matthew!"_

_Before he knew it, a bullet came and hit Matthew right in the chest. It all seemed to happen in a split second, and he crouched there watching as his friend fell to the ground . He was still conscious, looking directly into Espo's eyes. Looking into the eyes of a fellow wounded man, Espo nearly broke. He could never forget that blank stare, so full of regret and sorrow, yet it still seemed so empty. Both of them knew that he wouldn't be alive for long. Very soon, blood would fill his lungs. It was a special operations mission, and medics were nowhere near._

_"Espo...tell her I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry..."_

_Javier tried to help him up, but he was already dead. Sometimes Espo had nightmares, except that it was he himself who was shot, and he could feel his life leaving his body as Matthew shouted at him._

Sara had lost Matthew, and he wouldn't let Jenny lose Ryan. Not like this. Espo tried his very best to keep Ryan from bleeding too much, and that he was with him til' the ambulance arrived.

The ambulance arrived shortly after his man-down call._ Perks of being a cop._

"Ryan, you okay?"

"Yeah...bro.." replied Ryan, between gasps.

"I'll see you at the hospital," and the paramedics lifted Ryan on a stretcher_. He'll be fine._

Espo ran like fire. He heard Kate screaming, and searched desperately for the source of that sound.

_"Please. Please don't shoot him."_

Kate's pleads were getting louder. Espo darted to the left, and saw it.

_"No! Don't, I will break your legs, you Son-of-a-bitch!"_

_Maddox had his gun to Castle's head, and it was kill-shot style._

Espo himself was not exactly sure what it was that happened. How he had managed to see Maddox twisting his pinky in slow-motion and moving his index-finger just slightly away from the trigger, but he did. Whether it was the instinct of a former-special forces or the instinct of a brother protecting his friends, Espo saw it. And so, he reacted, and took a shot.

* * *

When Kate opened her eyes, she saw Maddox lying on the ground. There was a bullet hole on each temple. She turned around and saw Espo holding his Glock 17. He saved them. Rick was safe, once again cleared from danger, after being less than an inch close to it. He looked into her eyes and smiled.

"I thought I lost you..." Kate was tearing up. A whirl of emotions rushed through her, a mixture of relief, trauma and happiness.

"No, no never," said Rick, with a reassuring smile as he hugged her tightly.

"The file."

Kate walked up to where Maddox's body laid, and took the file. Opening it, she found nothing but a piece of paper.

"Dear Beckett, I know you're angry, but I couldn't let you keep the file.

Montgomery had warned me of the dangers you would face if I ever did. I owe him, and I swore to him that he could trust me. Therefore, I'm keeping it somewhere safe, somewhere HE will never find it. I may not be there when you find this to make sure of it, but I hope that my plan will go successfully, that HE would think that you have the file, even though you don't. All you need to know is, 08672241. It is the back account where HE deposited money orders.I won't specify what was done, neither will I tell you more. Knowing more, would only cause you danger. I hope that you will understand that the contents of the file when revealed will only cause more harm than good. I know you'll find out HIS identity soon enough, but I hope that you will do the right thing. Montgomery would hope that.

-Michael Smith "

"Who's H E ? " ask Rick.

"I don't know, but we should be able to find out now that we have his bank account number," Espo said, with furrowing eyebrows.

* * *

The hospital hallway was silent, apart from the occasional footsteps of walking nurses and doctors. By the time the trio arrived, Jenny and Gates were talking.

"You three better tell me what happened."

The three of them lied, telling her that they were helping Ryan investigate a lead when Maddox came out of nowhere and shot him. The rest was partly true, how they had chased Maddox and also that Espo had shot him out of defence. Although Gates didn't believe any of that crap, she understood. They were just being loyal. She knew, this had something to do with Montgomery, obviously, but she decided not to pursue it.

"Hey, Jenny... I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Javier, I know it wouldn't be your fault. Anyway, Kevin's gonna be fine. The doctor told us that his surgery was going smoothly so far. He has to be fine..."

Espo gave the puffy-eyed Jenny a reassuring hug, and later so did Kate and Rick. Jenny probably prepared herself for these situations before, since she knew Ryan's a cop.

* * *

When Ryan woke up, the smell of flowers was so strong he wished hadn't.

"Hey, baby," Ryan said, waking his wife who was leaning against his bed.

"Hey Kevin!" Jenny was suddenly bursting out with joy and relief. _He's awake!_

"I'm so sorry," apologised Ryan.

"It's okay, you're safe now."

Jenny kissd Ryan on the cheek.

"Hey Ryan," the rest of the team said, smiling. _They're all here for me._

"Hey guys."

Jenny proceeded with explaining his condition, which was that he had to stay in the hospital to recover for about an expected 3 months to recover, and also that he should be fine. About an hour later, Jenny left to get some food.

"Guys, what happened with Maddox?"

"Espo shot Maddox straight through the head after he pointed a gun at mine," said Rick. He hadn't been in life-threatening danger too long ago, yet he could still joke about it.

"Oh wow... well, what about the file?"

Kate gave Ryan the piece of paper she found in the file.

"It's William H. Bracken, Senator Bracken. He's the one behind the whole thing."

"What?!"

"We know, but it does explain why it's been so hard to get him."

_"What do I do know? How will I avenge my mother?", thought Kate._

The rest of the day was spent on telling jokes, stories, anything to entertain each other. Ryan's friends had managed to cheer him up and keep him company.


End file.
